Whispering Phantom
by BrokenSunsets
Summary: Sodapop's missing. He's vanished without a trace. It's like he's disappeared off of the face of the Earth. Now, his brother's race against the time clock of a schizophrenic mad man to save the brother that holds them together, but even if Soda's body survives, will his mind?
1. Chapter 1

Sodapop opened his eyes. His deep chocolate brown eyes melted into confusion. He looked around, trying to recognize his surroundings. Everything in the dark woods was deathly quiet. It was as if God decided to take that little section of Earth and silence every living thing in it except him.

Soda's heart pounded loudly. The frightened sixteen-year-old stood up and took a step forward, hoping he would hear the leaves crunching under his bare feet. To his relief, he did. The his breath came in short, quick intakes as he coughed and clutched his stomach. Pain overtook his side, and blood flowed. It soaked his light sky blue shirt and the edge of his dark pants. Memories flooded back into his head of what had happened before he had been stabbed.

Gasping at the painful thoughts, he stood as fast as he could without falling again and took off through the woods, breathing heavily. He ran recklessly; dogging and ducking underneath trees. He had to escape. He had to get out before… before…

"Hello Curtis. Its been a while," said a voice.

All in one motion, there was a crash, a scream, then silence.

_two weeks before_

"Soda!" Said an angry voice.

Sodapop looked innocently towards the door

"Again? In case you havn't forgotten, this room does belong to other people, not just you!" Ponyboy Curtis stood in the doorway, glaring at him, but soon he was laughing at Soda's innocent face. "Sometimes I wonder how we're related."

"What's going on you two?" Darry's head poked into the room, saw the paper scattered around the room, and nearly ruled his eyes and shook his head.

Soda laughed at his brothers, who began bickering, and lapped out of bed.

"Well," Soda snickered, "I'm off!"

"But Soda!" Ponyboy's voice trailed down the stairs, "The room!"

Soda stuffed on his sherpa and laughed before yelling up the stairs, "I'll do it when i get home!"

He didn't come home though. Not that day, or the day after. Not even after weeks and month was Soda seen again.


	2. The Tape

Suddenly his eyes are wide open and everything was slowly beginning to come into focus. His soft, vibrant brown eyes contrasted against the dull, misty abandoned room. Water dripping and crashing against the stone floor was the only sound that he could hear. Soda shifted slowly onto his side and gave a small wheeze as his body suddenly moved from a position that it seemed like he was in for an eternity. He leaned against the wall once he managed to get himself up right. Blood coated the floor and the smell of the blood was warm and sweet. Sodapop closed his eyes.

'I must be dreaming. I must be.' He silently coaxed himself into believing that this reality wasn't real.

He opened them, but everything remained the same. The busted walls, the blood, the dirt, and the dead bodies remained. He pulled himself off of the floor slowly.

"Hello," The voice whispered from the darkness, "How are you feeling today?"

Soda turned towards the door, a set of green eyes peaked out from underneath the slit of the door.

"Who are you?" Soda cried out, stumbling towards the door.

"Now, now," The voice said, treating Sodapop like a kid, "You can't know that, can you?"

Soda felt like screaming, he lunged forward and kicked the door; he scream ripping from his throat, "Let me out!"

The person behind the doors merely shook their head and rolled their eyes, "Looks like you need to be taught a lesson. Maybe this torture game we can record and send to someone special to me."

-Ponyboy-

Snow fell, covering the frozen wasteland in a thin white sheet. He stood there for a while, almost seeming paralyzed. The cold made his cheeks a slight red and his skin was turning a slight shade of white. Finally, he moved. A shiver climbed its way up the ladders of his spine before resting at his neck, causing all the hair on his neck to stand up. Someone was there. Someone was with him. He turned slowly; almost afraid of what it was lurking behind him. Nothing was there. Not a single living soul was with him. Turning back around, he watched as the sun said its hollow goodbyes and vanished beyond the horizon.

"Ponyboy," Johnny's voice was soft and soothing, "We should get going… You know Darry doesn't like you out late."

Ponyboy knew Johnny was staring; no one could avoid his gaze. He sighed, he felt defeated, for he didn't know how to figure out what his best friend was thinking. Usually they could see what the other was thinking, but not this time.

"Johnny, Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Johnny stated simply.

Ponyboy didn't push him. He knew that when his best friend needed to talk, he would.

When Ponyboy and Johnny arrived to the smallest house and the corner of the street, Darry was there waiting for them, his face was stoic.

"I think you guys need to sit down for this," Darry said while handing them the tape.

Darry didn't really think that he should be showing Ponyboy and Johnny this, but at least, at _**very **_least, they knew Sodapop was alive.

Ponyboy walked into the house, the smell of faint vanilla filled the house. He turned his head to the sofa and saw Dallas stretched out across it and, but when he saw the two younger boys he sat up.

He glanced at the tape that Ponyboy was fiddling with, "Did your stupid self already forget what was on that tape, Darrel?" Dallas hissed out.

Something was on this tape and it was bad. If Dally didn't want them seeing it, it had to be _**really**_ bad.

"I want to watch it." Ponyboy whispered. He hated standing up to Dally.

Dally stared at him with a blank expression on his face. Ponyboy swore he saw anger flicker behind his eyes, but as fast as it came, it vanished. Sighing, he made room on the couch for the two boys.

"Okay, whatever," Dallas said taking a drag of his cigarette, "But you ain't crying on me."

Ponyboy shoved in the tape and hit the play button. His green emerald eyes darkened as he saw the figure on the tape.

"Darry… Is that," Ponyboy began.

Darry cut him off with a nod.

Soda laid chained to the wall, his eyes clamped closed. Blood pour gratefully from the wounds on his head and neck. A figure with a blade stepped into view. It looked at the camera before flashing a smile and clicking it off.

Those eyes. Ponyboy had seen them before, but who?


	3. Hello, How are you?

A scream ripped from the boy's throat and he sat up shivering; his green eyes scanning the room what was never once there. He closed his eyes and let out a quivering sigh. Ponyboy had now adapted to a strange sleeping pattern; he would only sleep for around 2 hours a night, and then walked around the house at the strange, late hours of the night; muttering to himself nonsense. He lifted himself out of the bed; his body shivering as the cold air hit his warm body. He cracked the door open and strained his eyes to see against the harsh light that flooded into his room and illuminated it. The youngest Curtis found his older brother sitting on the sofa, reading a book Ponyboy had never seen before. He glanced back into his room and looked at the small alarm clock that rested on his bedside; the clock's neon green numbers read out 3: 45 A.M.

He slowly opened the door, walked towards his brother, and set a hand on his shoulder, causing the older man to jump slightly. If it had been any other time, Ponyboy would have laughed at scaring his brother, but at this time, he could understand why Darry was so nervous.

"Hey, Ponyboy…" Darry said in a hushed tone their friends were now sleeping in the moon clinch.

Ponyboy looked around the room at all of his slumbering friends. Dallas was near the door and next to Johnny, who had his head resting on the blonde-haired person's shoulder. Ponyboy knew Johnny would be scolded for that later Two-bit was on the floor, curled into a slight ball and his hand balled into a fist around the beer can. Steve was on the sofa farthest from everyone. He had been wanted to be left alone and drew away from the gang. Ponyboy did not like the boy too much, but at that moment, he looked at Steve without any bias opinion. The boy that Ponyboy had hated and held so much hatred in him looked lost and younger as he slept. Pony's attention was now brought back to the book resting in Darry's hands.

"What's that?" Pony asked taking the book from Darry.

"Just something from school that Soda did when he was in 2nd grade," Darry gave a low laugh, "Couldn't believe mum kept it after all this time."

A soft groan came from the side of the sofa and Steve glared up at them, his dark brown curly hair was disheveled.

"Steve…" Darry whispered going to sit by the younger male.

Steve merely shook his head and laid on his back staring at the ceiling. Ponyboy looked up at Darry Worried for a man he had once held such a hatred for.

Steve finally spoke up, using his voice after it seemed like years since they had heard it, "I'm okay, kid. I always know when you're worried about something; you and your horse-of-a-brother have a specialty for going dead quite when you're worried."  
Ponyboy laughed a laugh that he had not given since his brother's disappearance.


End file.
